Alleged N333m debt: Court reverses self, lifts freezing order on Benue salary accounts
Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja has lifted the interim freezing order made in respect of the salary accounts of the Benue State Government. Justice Ekwo gave the order after listening to counsel to Benue State, Terkura Pepe (SAN), who had complained that the order made by the court on October 26 freezing all bank accounts of the Benue government over an unpaid N333 million debt, had incapacitated the state. But giving the order on Friday, Justice Ekwo said the lifting of the freezing order was to last for 14 days. He consequently directed Benue State to explore an out-of-court settlement of its indebtedness to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria and then adjourned further hearing in the case to November 22, 2021. Following an ex-parte application by AMCON, the court ordered the interim freezing of all bank accounts operated by the Benue State Government and a firm, HPPS Multilink Services Ltd, over a debt of N333m which arose from a loan obtained from...